Baowolf's Mentor Group- Closed (Page 40)

jAY, Hang in there. Ken, Have fun this weekend. Mike, Fantastic race report. Fun read!

Ran 4 miles today. Felt much better that the last several runs Ive had!

Hey Everybody!!! Missed a week or so in posting and it has been an interesting last two weeks!!!!

shout out to
Ken!!! great to hear from you good luck on the IM this weekend!!! Pulling for you!

Mike- congrats on the HIM it would have been awesome to have met Andy Potts!!!

Steve- Hey man you got the IM's in the bag!!!

Seems like everyone is killing some training!

Well I had a Tri this saturday! I had a great time the weather was great. it was a 600 yard swim, 17 mile bike, and 3.3 mile run. I finished 21 out of 133 and I was pleased. I probally ended up swimming 650 yards due to having a strong right arm and not looking up to spot buoy. Oh well! Great bike gained 2 mph our on my average at 21 mph. I still cramped up on the run but was able to run it out into a strong finish.

The funny story was on August 11 I decided to ride a 50 mile bike ride across into another county. I was having a great ride until mile 41 when my iphone/gps went dead and I made a wrong turn. I ended up in another state in Alabama and at mile 59 I cramped in both hamstrings and quadricep. So What did I do? Glad you asked!
I flagged down the nicest car I saw and they gave me a ride into town where I could call my wife to pick me up!. Great ride hilarious/ scary finish! Just thought I would share this with my fellow supporting Triathletes.

Hi Jared! Sounds like a fantastic race you had! 21 out of 120 is awesome! Um & that's too funny about the getting lost. Glad you found an honest driver to shuttle you back!

Jared - congrats on the race. You did great. Like the getting lost story as well.

Seems lots of folks out there doing well. Keep it up!

Question about running rehab -- I'm taking the next 6 weeks off from running to let my leg heal, and will then begin run training again (assuming all is well with healing). I'm essentially starting over. What is the best way to approach this? I will continue to swim & bike in the meantime. Maybe continue to do some 'power walks' in place of runs for now? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

BTW -- I've already committed to a couple folks I'd race another HIM in June of 2014, so this is definitely some sort of sickness I have. My goal for that race is to *RUN* the last part of the race. none of this walking stuff. I have 10 months to get there.

Ok Mike, here's my .02 I'd start by running a mile in 6 weeks and then progress as needed. The reason I feel this way is twofold; 1. I think you need to ease into running to protect your hammy. 2. Knowing how you feel about running, I think hitting mini milestones will be important to keep you feeling good about running and progressing to bigger milage.

Dang Jared, you're fast! Very nice race! LOL on the getting lost....nice extra miles .

Elena, glad your 4 miler felt good! Fall is around the corner, and everything will feel better.

Mike, here is a return to running plan that I think is reasonable: http://kemibe.com/distancecoach/labreports/stressfracture.shtml
Right now, I'm trying 3 X (jog 1/2 mile, walk 1/2 mile), and seeing how it goes, but if it goes well, may jump back into some version of the above plan. Whilst not running, I've continued to cycle easy, walk, swim, but no formal plan. I think the running down time is a good time to work on core/upper body/flexibility/weight loss/etc. I'm down 5 lbs. and going for more so hopefully as I come back, I will be putting less overall stress on my body. Added in some upper/core for the last couple weeks, which is supposedly good for us as we get...um...older. Plus I like having a little definition in my arms/shoulders/abs anyway.

Considering signing up for the season ending sprint here (late October...Halloween theme). Was my first tri ever, and is always a fun time. Might also encourage me to stay balanced and not go all run crazy and do too much too soon on that front. MTA: signed up for the spring...ran a little today...endorphins = trigger finger on the register button !


Edited by squirt 2013-08-20 11:15 AM

Good afternoon everyone! After feeling like Chicken Little these past few weeks I can finally proclaim that the world isn't coming to an end! In all seriousness, things are starting to normalize. My wife had her follow up appointment on Monday and she was told that recovery is going well. Very happy...no damage from the accident. I got my car back today. Apparantly, the issue was with the computer in the car...which explains why my dealer had to send it to a Mitsubishi dealership. I will say that people need to learn how to RETURN PHONE CALLS....I called a number of times on my car and rarely got a call back. My wife's Jeep is about 50% done now so she should be getting that back soon.

With all of this, I can begin to refocus on training. I've rededicated myself to my keto diet and purchased a pretty good book on the topic as well. The book has a lot of scientific evidence via studies etc confirming a lot of what I've experienced. I had a friend from HS finish the Mont Tremblant IM on Sunday..he did it in 12:30ish...I'm impressed. Much like Carol was saying above, I'm thinking about registering for Mont Tremblant. Quebec is about an 8 hour drive from me...which is about the distance I'd have to drive to Maryland for the Chesapeake or upstate NY. I hesitate because I feel like I need to finish a mile swim in a race environment. Last year, my sprint was a half mile swim...once I did that, I felt comfortable registering for the HIM. Unfortunately, I don't think registration will stay open until the OLY on Sept 8th

Jared: Loved the story about your bike ride and getting a ride back. I've felt like that once or twice but I don't think I'd have the guts to ask someone for a ride!

Steve: You said that you've done IM and non IM races; have you noticed a big difference between the sanctioned/non sanctioned?

First, run recovery. Ya I would go the full 6 weeks no running no fast walking, maybe a 1 mile walk 3x a week at slower than a 16 mpm pace. It will kill you I know. Then in 6 weeks start with a 1 mile walk then 2 2 2 3 for week 1. All walking. Next week start walk 1 mile jog 1 minute jog 4 minutes for the first 3 days then jog 2 minutes walk 3 minutes towards the end of week two with distances up to 3 miles. Week 3 is walk 1 mile warmup then jog 3 minutes walk 2 for the first 3 days then jog 4 walk 1 rest of the week. Week 3 is walk a half mile the jog the rest at an easy pace up to 4 miles per run. You are now up to jogging 16 to 20 miles a week and can start to build as you would normally with the exception of no speedwork or hillwork for 2 months. You can do tempo runs but no faster than 8:30 for a top speed on that. By the end of 3 months you will be running 30-35 miles a week with a long run of 12 ish miles and be ready to do any kind of build HIM/Mary/IM. I didn't read Carols plan but probably should.

IM branded races will have lots of people 2500+ and will have lots of fans cheering you on. Vineman used to be IM branded but they parted ways, it has about 700 fewer people in the race smaller crowds same quality/level of support. HITS cheep to sign up, many fewer people in the race,very small crowds, adequate support (aid stations etc.) family atmosphere, can usually camp right at the race location if you want to. So more bells and whistles at IM with bigger fanfair, etc., but unless the race is put on by an idget non branded races tend to be fine. Now there is a HIM in las vegas where the temp is 105 on race day and they have a total of 1 water stop on the bike you hit twice and 3 waterstops on the run you hit twice and someone may die on that course one of these years because the aid stations are too far apart for the temps and no support staff. They have a trashcan with water in it that you can use a cup to get some water and no portapotties on the bike or run course.

So ya if you don't know anything about the race, read what other folks say who have done the race before. All the races are USAT races, just not IM races.

Nice races guys. I am not sure many of us would have done that HIM knowing it was going to have a lot of walking at the end and maybe a lot of pain.

And 21 mph on the bike is smoking well done.

I have a couple long weeks coming up. I looked up what I used to be able to do the hill of pain in and it was 10:00 faster than I can do it now. Dang that irritates me that I was so prepped for that IM and crash..... Oh well. Maybe I can get there again by this time next year.

Ken, luck this weekend, do not go out too fast........enjoy your day, learn lots, say hi to everyone. Your IM can be very hot, remember to stay wet all day if you need to and keep the fluids at the proper level. Ask any questions now about calories, how many and what are you taking during the race?

Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-20 3:34 PM

Jared, congratulations on your race!!!! 21st is great. Love the story of the nice AL driver picking you up. In the South, you do have a great, great chance that the drivers are nice. You only have about a 3.7% chance that they are axe murderers or banjo players for the movie “Deliverance”.

Mike, I wish I could help on the hammy issue. All I can say is to make the rehab the complete focus and attack rehab like a race. Do everything the PT says and every time he wants you to do it. Google, massage, do exercises and stretches, everything you can. Hope that it heals quickly.

Carol, great job on getting back out there, signing up for the race, and losing the weight!!!

Jay, glad things are better for you now. And I think you will like this book that I'm reading - Fitness Confidential. Really isn't real informative but funny as heck. He has a personality like hubby's and I think you would like.

I did intervals this morn. Got up way too blinking early. Hubby was finishing up and ran along beside me on half of the 3rd interval so I pushed it. Then either my Garmin or I burned all of our matches because none of the other intervals recorded. 6* ½ mile and then 2 more of about ¼ mile. The recorded intervals were 7:59, 7:58, and 6:57. Yeah, I’m stoked about the 6:57 but it was an excellent indicator of what I CAN’T do. I bet my last ones were all in the mid 8s because I was cooked.

And something else. I said I wouldn’t sign up for any more marys but apparently I’m a liar. A friend asked me last week to go to Baton Rouge with her in January. She is doing the full Louisiana Marathon but said I could do the half. I love to go with Mel anywhere so I agreed. And then I’m looking at it and the half is only $10 less than the full. So let’s face it, it’s a much better value to sign up for the full instead of the half, right? Only $10 more and I get 13.1 more miles out of it. I haven’t been at home long enough to register yet but I know where my brain has already gone. Oy, that is why I should only look for HMs and never go to locations with full marys.

Thanks Pam! Vinnie Tortorich's book; yes, I'm familiar with him. He has his own website where he does podcasts and is a big proponent of no grain, no sugar diet. He is one of my likes on facebook He's a bit crude on his podcasts and takes way too long to get to the "good information" but he is knowledgeable no doubt about it. Random nonsense....I tried to get his book but couldn't so I got my current book which has been a great read!

As for the mary, go for it Once you've done a few, you know how to finish it unless disaster strikes anyway! Plus, you get to hangout in a great location that's on my list of places to see!

Steve - like the plan. I'll get it set up in a spreadsheet tomorrow and get it ready to go in October, assuming I'm feeling ok.

I'm off to the pool tomorrow. Always helps me to feel better. Feeling god today, although a bit stiff if I sit too long.

Vacation starts in a couple days. Maybe some light biking and definitely some swimming in the warm Caribbean sea next week!

Pam sub 7:00... you have some serious speed if we get you trained up for a mary the right way..... hrm 3:30-3:40 marathon could be a possibility if completely trained.......

Mike really hard to start off that slow but hamstring is reallllly slow healing compaired to a calf pull.

Pam, NICE on the runs.

Ran 4mi mon& tues. Mon was kinda awful. Yesterday was much better. Running a hilly 3 later today. Think I'm going to shoot for a local Oct 20 HM. Hilly but this will be my third time running the course. 2:17 & 2:28 were my previous times. Have to beat the 2:17!

Go, Elena!

BTW -- updated avatar at the suggestion of someone here .

MD

Pam- Great Run intervals. Go for the Mary!!!

Elena- I love the goals keep it up!!!

So my baby Avery will be here in 6 weeks. I am not able to schedule another triathlon for the fall so far due to date conflict
So I am looking at maybe doing some century rides or train for a half marathon. But I want to keep my tri fitness up as well. Just need to make a plan for the next 6 weeks! Then it will be off season training for next year. Any suggestions?!?

Hello everyone. Well it Wednesday before my IM on Sunday. I have to tell you that my nerves are shot beyond belief. I am questioning everything. But with that being said, I am more confident going into this swim than I ever have been before.

My plan is a nice easy swim. Not trying to break any records, just finish with energy. I am really going to take it easy on the first half of the bike (it contains most of the climbs on the ride). Going to try and maintain a nice comfortable pace. Then speeding up slightly for the second half. My run will be divided by the first 18 (survive) and last 8 increase speed and finish strong.

My bib number is 2509. So if you see a swim time posted you can be sure it's going to be a good day. No matter what my finish time is.

Go Ken!!!!! We will be rooting for you! Think how great you are going to feel on that final portion of the swim....getting closer and closer and knowing you have done it.

Elena, nice runs and great job getting back into the swing of things!

Mike, great suggestion on the avatar change. You and your new bud....love it!

Pam, ever thought about trying to BQ? With a round of good training and a little luck on the injury front, sure sounds like a good bet. Just sayin' .

Jay, glad things may be smoothing out a bit for you!

Steve, no looking back except to learn. Yes, telling myself that as well .

Jared, very cool on the new chapter in your lives beginning soon!

OK, I have two tire questions for the group's collective wisdom: (1) How big of a cut means that a tire is done? My most recent flat was where there is a cut in the tire....really the only one. (2) Is it OK to have different tire "models" in front and back? I have some nice new Continental Grand Prix 4000's from my old bike that have never touched the road. Could I just swap out the rear tire and leave the other one (Bontrager...not sure model...came on the bike...still looks to be in good shape) on the front? Or is that some sort of cycling no-no?

Kinda excited about the sprint in October! Was my first, and also the one I came closest to an AG award (4th in AG in 2011), so good memories. Doing it with 3 other friends with Type 1 diabetes. So I won't be the only one trying to figure out how much to bolus, or where to stash my pump.

Edited by squirt 2013-08-21 12:21 PM

Carol, I'd change it out. I don't think my mind would let me forget about the gash on every downhill! I'd change it for my own peace of mind.

Ken, we all can relate w the pre-race nerves. You Will Do This! Sounds like you're mentally planning and preparing for the day. The thoughts can run us ragged but we are rootin' for ya and we WILL see that swim time!!!

Mike, like the profile pic. Changed mine too. This time right-side-up! Added a few more to my photos in profile. Not all uploaded but theres a few. Hey!..Enjoy the cruise! You did get my cruise tips, right?

Ken I usually wait until mile 20 to start my Mary kick in an IM, I would just recommend coasting for those extra two miles and then build a gradual build over the last 6 miles (early kick hurts baddly). Good strat for the bike, don't cook the 2nd half. What are you doing for calories.

Carol if you got a flat because of a gash in the tire, it is probably time to replace the tire. I would probably put the more agile tire on the front and the heavier/slower tire on the back. Sorry I know 2 tire changes. What happens with a gash is that the tube squeezes out through the gap when you hit a bump or pothole and you get a flat. I wouldn't risk my bike and health for a $40 tire.

Your offseason base depends a little on your season goals. I like to maintain at least 25-30 miles a week run (3,4,5,(5),9 (20 bare bones minimum), 20,20 40 for bike rides and 1500 2000 swim minimum.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-21 4:32 PM

Mike so glad that you changed the avatar and we can now see you (as well as stalker Andy).

Elena, love the new avatar too although I was getting a kick out of automatically tilting my head every time I looked at your other avatar.

Carol and Steve, love both of you. All I can say when Steve posts those projections and Carol talks of BQ is hahahahahahaha. Shows how much is mental about this. I don't know...I don't consider myself a loser but I'm not sure how much work I'm willing to put in. That is so awful to say. I was devasted a year and a half ago when I really worked for a 4:15 to 4:30 mary and then crashed and burned. It sucks. But I'm really contemplating what I want to do. There are various things in my life going on and I don't know if I can sacrifice some of those things. But that being said, what type of plan would you suggest? In the past I used Hal Higdon's Intermediate and modified it to be a little harder. I hit most things but the midweek sorta longs were hell. Oh Folks, I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer. Unfortunately tho I am being Debbie because I'm being honest.

Ken, best of luck in the IM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We'll be cheering for you.

Mitzi Darling if you are still checking in, are you doing your race this weekend? Hope so.

Ken -- have a great race, and we'll all be pulling for you! I know you'll do great!

Pam to actualize your speedy run pace you will need to get your weekly miles up around 55 miles per week or so, keep doing those intervals and build to getting in 12-15 of those in your weekly speedwork, do hill repeats every other week again building to lots of those (and I am talking running up the hill at 8:00 mpm ish pace). And get in 3 x 20 mile runs in your peak build, but many runs in the 15 to 16 mile base is range before building to 20. Also we would be talking running 5-6 times per week. I know you can do a 3:59:59 mary. The closer you want to get to 3:30:00 the more work it is going to take. You charted 1000 miles in 2012 and you will probably need to up that to closer to 1500 miles run to be able to not drift in your mary pace so much in that last 8 miles. You have the stuff. But, it is totally up to you if you chose to put in the hours for it or have a balance that includes more fun training that lets you finish your mary at a 4:30 pace comfortably.

My run for this week is 7 9 9 7 5 18 = 55, next week 7 9 10 7 6 18= 57. So that is the type of build you would want for your mary, but with the intensity that I just don't have enough base to hit too too much atm.

Here is my generic workout startegy you can do effort by heart rate to keep you honest on how hard your efforts are (posted this way early in the group:

M Run1: Recovery run Z2: Bike1: Recovery Z2: (Swim 1000 optional)

T R2: WU/CD 10:00 MS Hill repeats Hills 6x 2:00 (R: 2:00) WU/CD 10:00: B MS High RPM 3:00(100), 2:00(110), 1:00(120) RPM

W S1:WU/CD 500, MS : Drill 500, MS: Continuous XX yards: Bike3: WU/CD 10:00, MS: Intervals, 20x :30 LT/Recover 30 or 10x 1:00/1:00 or
5x 4:00/2:00 etc.

Th R3: WU/CD 10:00 MS 800 Repeats (7:30-6:30): B:4 WU/CD 10:00 MS: Hill Repeats 20:00 of Hill repeats Z3-Z4

Fr S2: WU/CD 500 MS : Drill 500 6x4:00 @ LT (61-62) Rest :50 8x 50 @ LT (63-70)

Sa R4: Recovery run Z2: B5: Steady Z2 Can play fielders choice

Su R:5 Steady Z2 effort: S3: S1:WU/CD 500, MS : Drill 500, 5x100 LT (63-70)

Long day run 9 miles, bike 30, swim 3900 yards. Anything more than about 2500 yards is still long..




Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-22 1:45 AM

Steve, you are awesome! Thank you for all of the info. I really couldn't even stand myself last night after I posted such negativity. I am a big girl and I need to put on my big girl pants and just go for it. I'm trying to "cushion" myself for disappointment and that is just flipping loser mentality. So I'm going to go for it. If I fall short, I can keep on trying. Thank you!!!!!

Ken, good luck this weekend. Hope that you have a great race, and looking forward to hearing about it!

Elena and Steve, thanks so much for the input on the tires. Actually it will mean 3 tire changes (since I have to change the one on the trainer bike as well)....AND my air pump broke. So I'm thinking it's time to head to the bike shop with my 3 wheels, pick up a pump, and have a latte while they swap them all out in like 5 minutes.

Well Pam, I could have written that same post. I'm still very disappointed re: my marathon and the aftermath, and not sure I care to try another one. Time will tell on that, but it is wonderful to see you bouncing back from a similar experience.

Leaving tomorrow for a week in San Francisco. Fly free, stay almost free (conference for hubby).....couldn't pass up the chance.

Pam no worries at all. Some more things about BQ, you will probably need to drop your bike back to 1-2 days a week shorter distances (20-30 miles) and swim back to like 1 day a week to allow enough recovery time from your runs. You can use HR to make sure you are working hard enough and have specific pacing goals even for recovery runs. You do have the speed for an 4 hour mary easily. I would differ in my recommendations from most marathon plans in that I would build up a really solid base for a much longer time period before your big builds. So I see nothing wrong with doing 40-45 mile weeks with a long run of 13 to 16 miles for 4-6 months before building in the climb to your 3x 20s as your peak builds with miles up in the 55 to 60 per week range. So if you put a solid 7 to 8 months into the mary build I think your experience would be a lot different come race day. One can actually hold a pace just a couple beats south of LT for an entire marathon, but usually not a HIM, though you can come close, and an IM not at all. If your mary is going to have more hills you need to run more hills...

No one has to BQ. It is a commitment to put in the time to not fade at the end of the mary. You will fade a bit but I am talking dropping off less than 40 seconds per mile for any mile in the last 6. Your pace prior to that in the race will need to take that into account. So if you want to have a pace of 8:00, that means running 7:50 to 7:55 for the first 20 miles and then 8:00 to 8:40 the next 6.2.

Edited by Baowolf 2013-08-22 10:21 AM